Renovation Plans For Saddleback College Stadium Gain Supporters

Fall is coming soon, and with that football. will also have a new stadium soon, if a local City Council has its way.

Members of the Laguna Niguel City Council unanimously agreed to send a letter of support for a new sports stadium renovation to the college's board of trustees.

Jim Leach, first vice president on the Saddleback College Foundation Board of Governors, spoke in favor of the renovation.

"There is no facility to house our championship athletic teams, particularly football, between Santa Ana and San Diego," he said. "This facility that they have is inadequate, and frankly a problem for them."

The stadium serves the college, but is also used by Santa Margarita Catholic and , both of which play in the Trinity League that includes the likes of Servite and Mater Dei—teams that traditionally bring a lot of fans with them.

Initially, the proposal began as a stadium renovation and a new wellness center. Both projects together were deemed not feasible, as determined by the board’s fundraising firm. 

However, the stadium renovation was deemed feasible according to Leach "due to the interest in the sport, the status of the teams and the large percentage of players who go on to four-year colleges."

Council Member Robert Ming said as the project goes forward, the board should perform traffic studies to assess traffic flow on game days.

With the approval, it is hoped that the profile of the college will be raised among young athletes and their families, Leach said.

"It is in fact the college of choice for such a large percentage of our young people here in South Orange County," Leach said. "It’s also what we like to refer to on the board as perhaps South County’s best kept secret."

The Saddleback College Foundation recently completed a feasibility study for the project and is in the process of garnering community support and raising the $25.5 million needed to build the stadium, said Jenny McCue, spokeswoman for Saddleback College. Once the plans and funding are in place, the project would go before the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees for final approval.